


Safe Haven.

by corrupt_vault



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Cannibalistic Thoughts, Climbing Class if you squint, Couch Cuddles, Everyone is okay (sort of), F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Half-Wendigo Josh Washington, Hallucinations, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Schizophrenia, Josh Lives, Mental Instability, Multi, Neck Kissing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Schizophrenia, Sleepy Cuddles, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-13 03:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21487585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corrupt_vault/pseuds/corrupt_vault
Summary: Nine months after the events on Blackwood Mountain, Samantha Giddings finds herself in the familiar comfort of an old friend. Though he may be changed, she knows deep down... He is still the same as he was, if not a little different. At least he is alive, and safe with her.
Relationships: Sam Giddings/Josh Washington
Kudos: 44





	Safe Haven.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there everyone! A few things before I get started-  
\- Matt and Emily didn't make it out alive  
\- Story is set in November, assuming that Until Dawn takes place in late January/early February.  
\- There's implied Climbing Class if you squint  
\- This one shot is centered on Sam and Josh, though other relationships are mentioned.
> 
> This is a quick little gift. Jaeger, if you are reading this, hello darling :3  
Big shout out to Holly Amber Vaux on Spotify for providing an Until Dawn music playlist! It really helped me push through and write this!

It had almost been a year later. Nine months after the initial incident that had landed them where they were now. Nine long and difficult months, filled with endless torment, and a new addition to Samantha Gidding’s household. This new addition was neither human nor animal- if she was being honest with herself, it felt like a mix of both. It spoke sometimes, either in fluent or slurred english, or only screaming and animalistic noises.

There lacked an in-between. Silence felt so rare that she almost begged for it most times- that was unlikely. This new housemate did not enjoy the silence, often staring at the television until it made noise, or until the bright images flickered at it. She’d laughed, watching the lanky creature as it sat on the floor in front of the television, eyes wide and entertained. The one thing Sam was grateful for would be the lack of aggression.

It took quite some time for the creature to decide that it liked her, often timid whenever she tried to drag it around the house. Nowadays the only moments when she felt scared around it, was in the dark. The creature was absolutely terrifying to look when night came, and the lights went off. Listening as it dug its claws into the ceiling, eyes reflecting the lights outside as they hungrily watched for her movement.

She would be able to hear it’s teeth clicking together, with it’s jaw clenched so tightly she thought it would never move. As often as she saw it, Sam knew that she would never get used to seeing the teeth. The ones that stuck out of a hole torn in it’s cheek, sometimes bloodied, but terrifying nonetheless. Regardless, she had learned a way to outsmart the ceiling creature, which was quite an entertaining game.

If she stayed unmoving, staring at the creature on the ceiling, after a while, it would get confused, hopping down onto the floor as it tried to find her. She could hold back her laughter at the growing confusion as the creature screamed, looking around desperately for it’s friend. Until she finally moved, and was tackled to the floor by a bony creature that was almost the same height as the ceiling.

There were some good things about this growing friendship. The bony, sharp-toothed, horrifying creature enjoyed cuddling. Once she could manage to get the teeth away from her shoulder and neck area, she could enjoy it as well… she would find herself petting it's dark hair, keeping her eyes fixed on whatever movie she had thrown on in the background. It was a time for relaxation…

And yet, that was where Sam found herself again. Her arms wrapped firmly around the thin torso of the wendigo, his nose pressed firmly against her neck, teeth clenched in the loops of the knitted sweater she was wearing- they were both wearing thick sweaters. He quietly purred, exhaustion attempting to take over as he laid in Sam’s arms, her fingers soothingly dragging through his hair- wet from a previous shower.

It was days like this where she felt less afraid- less tense since the events on Blackwood. Today was a day where she could feel calm and grounded, disturbed by nothing but soft noises, and the background noise from the television. She wished it was raining outside, preferring that against the fat snowflakes that fell upon the concrete. The snow drowned any hope that Mike would come over to help out with Josh.

Josh, the wendigo- all one person, though she preferred Josh. He was still partly human, even with the addition of extra teeth, and though a bit more gangly than before. When he looked at her, she could still make out Josh’s green eyes, glinting past his eyebags. He was still the Josh she knew and loved… only changed, and no longer the same person he had been before going up the mountain. 

Though he hadn’t lost his spark. He was still _ her _ Josh. Josh was still the goofy filmographer she’d grown to care for, even more so after all he had gone through. Her heart panged at the thought of what he had endured… thinking of how he felt being alone for almost a month, left down in a dark cave with no known escape. Sam desperately wanted to be there for him, for however long he needed.__

She had tried to stay by Josh’s side after the disappearance, later changed to death, of his sisters. And in that time where he needed her most, he went off the radar, later informing Sam of why he had suddenly disappeared. By later, she meant almost a month ago, which was a bit too late for an explanation, but she was grateful that he at least informed her. It pained her to imagine Josh in that situation and state.

He had kept his explanation small, as to not cause any grief or worry towards himself. The half-wendigo frowned into her shoulder, taking a deep breath, and bringing his hands up to rub the tiredness from his eyes. Sam yawned, covering her mouth with her hand, before returning that hand to Josh’s hair, combing through it with her fingers. She bit back a small laugh, now understanding just why Josh felt so exhausted.

It had been a slow day, and goddamn… she’d be lying if she said the couch wasn’t beyond comfortable. “Sam..?” Not expecting him to speak, Sam perked up a little, looking down at the sleepy wendigo. Josh’s green eyes met hers, tired and dull from his reigning exhaustion, bound to take hold of him when he least expected it. A gentle smile fell on her lips. “Yes, Josh?” She whispered. 

She watched as his gaze flickered away, just over her shoulder, before he met her eyes again. His brows were knitted, as if he was thinking really hard about something. That didn’t surprise her- Josh always had something on his mind. He moved his jaw a little, eventually opting to use his fingers to remove his extra teeth from the holes in her sweater. “Can I… ask something? From a while back..”

Sam nodded, rubbing his side gently. He wet his lips, taking in a deep breath. “Do you… do you think it would be a good idea..?” Sam frowned a little, tilting her head curiously. “Do I think what would be a good idea?” She asked, bringing her hand down from his hair to cup his less-wendigo cheek. “You know… seeing Cochise? Or Ash? Or- or even Mike..? Maybe Jess?” He looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

She offered him a bittersweet smile. Her last phone call with Chris ended along the same lines, and though he was still obviously upset and held a grudge for Josh’s previous actions, she couldn’t help but laugh about how ecstatic he had sounded. She could’ve imagined seeing Chris bouncing on his feet in excitement, just thinking about seeing his best friend again. Months had passed since their last encounter, after all.

A fond smile fell on Sam’s lips as she recalled a conversation with Chris that had taken place only weeks ago. The reverence in his tone did not go unnoticed when he spoke about Josh, although he sounded like a broken record, often repeating things he had already said about the older male. There was euphoria in the atmosphere as soon as Josh’s name passed his lips, a certain glee in his tone.

Despite the trauma that Josh had put Chris through, and the grudge that Chris held, she could hear it in his voice. The fondness, the slight apprehension, and finally, the yearning. A feeling of longing that he had tried to keep hidden, but betrayed him when Sam used her words to coax it out. Chris mostly neglected to mention his feelings regarding Josh’s actions on Blackwood, and only spoke about the good things.

Sam found herself almost wishing that she had asked more about them. Wishing she could hear more stories about Chris and Josh when they were younger, causing problems, and pranking each other like best friends do. Staying friends for so long, she could only assume what sorts of shenanigans the two were up to, though it wasn’t a main topic in any exchange she had with either of them.

Despite this, she knew that everyone would have different opinions. Sam knew, or could roughly guess, that Ashley’s current answer would be a definite no. Perhaps before the final prank on Blackwood, she would have greatly considered Josh a close friend- but Sam couldn’t assume where Ashley sat on that scale anymore. Not after she learned that Chris would have to go to a different room to talk about Josh.

As Sam had learned from Chris, just like everyone else who survived, Ashley was going through some things, and seeking help. Chris wouldn’t go into depth in regards to what Ashley was dealing with, but she assumed that, aside from what she witnessed, Josh must have done quite a few things to fuck her up so badly. That, and the lurking wendigos that they all had the displeasure of encountering.

Chris insisted that Ashley would be down to see Josh in the future- but Sam wouldn’t rush her. PTSD was a bitch, which she personally knew, and took time to understand and get under control. She could sympathize, and understand why Ash would stray away. However, only Ashley could put her foot down and say when she was ready, and though it would take time… Sam knew Josh would understand.

Sam was a little more apprehensive when it came to anything related to Jessica. Barely recalling anything from her traumatizing night, she never spoke to her about it. Conversations between her and Sam were brief, often never speaking about the events that had transpired. Sam knew from the way that Jess spoke that things weren’t exactly alright, and worried about how she would react when seeing another wendigo.

Josh specifically… Maybe Jessica was another person that Sam would wait on, until the other blonde was ready. She was apparently making progress with Mike, but that was really all that Sam knew. Mike was a little more cooperative when it came to seeing Josh- he denied anything said, but Sam knew that he felt guilty. She could see his shoulders visibly slump whenever he came over to help or visit Josh.

Originally, she figured it was guilt over accusing him of killing Jess- but Mike had denied that, and she learned the truth after eavesdropping on one of his conversations with Josh. It was a heavy guilt on his shoulders, having to look at Josh’s half-wendigo state, and be reminded that he partially caused it. Mike knew he had been the one to leave Josh down in the mines, with no other option than to change.

In her mind, this was Mike’s way of making it up to him. Using every tool at his disposal to aid him, while also making Sam’s job easier, and a little less hectic. If Josh already knew that things were okay between him and Mike, why was he asking? “I think…” Sam began, wetting her lips. “I think that Chris would be more than happy to see you again. It’s been so long..” She whispered, watching Josh’s eyes liven up with a hopeful glow.

Of course, with Josh rarely coming out from being a wendigo, she could never ask for his side. She didn’t know how badly he wanted to see Chris again- but considering he was asking out of nowhere, she assumed that he wanted it very badly. “He calls a lot, you know… hoping that he’ll be able to talk to you again someday.” Josh lifted his head, his green eyes shining, staring at her like a dog who had just been given a treat.

Sam could feel her heart flutter at the sudden interest Josh was showing. She couldn’t imagine how he was feeling, knowing how long he had been cooped up in this house, given no contact with the outside world- his phone had been lost, probably destroyed with whatever else he had left behind when she and Mike had blown up the lodge. She remembered seeing it in the basement, and found herself now wishing she had grabbed it.

“He really misses you Josh…” She muttered, softly biting her lip. “He’s just… been really busy helping Ashley. He’s making sure that she’s getting the help she needs for her PTSD.” It was the truth, though it didn’t come up a lot in their phone calls. Josh nodded slowly, his gaze falling just over her shoulder again. It felt as if something was whispering in his ear, breath cold against his skin, and sending shivers down his spine.

He could almost see her, looming over Sam’s shoulder, her dead eyes clawing at his skin. His eyes went wide, staring down the apparition as she materialized from seemingly nowhere. _ Hannah… _ His eyebrows furrowed, a pensive look falling on his expression aside from his eyes. The apparition stared him down, almost smirking at him, as well as a decayed skull could, anyways.

Sam frowned, and fixed her arms in case he felt constricted in this state. Sometimes he liked being touched in this state, but mostly he did not. She kept her hand pressed to his back to keep him upright, but tried to keep physical contact to a minimum until she could deduce if he wanted to be touched. “Josh… hey… stay with me.” She whispered, frowning softly. He looked like a scared animal.

“ _ Jooooosh~” _ Hannah purred, stepping closer to the pair. Josh’s fingers twitched around the material of his sweater, talon-like claws digging into the fabric. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, though that couldn’t block out Hannah. Nothing would stop her from talking. “No… no no.. shut up..” His hands released his shirt, gliding up to cover his ears. Sam studied his body language, her frown deepening.

“You’re okay, Josh… it’s not real. It’s not there.” She whispered assuringly, fighting her urge to hold him again. She had to be patient, and give him as much space as she could until he let her know that it was okay to touch him. Josh hated it- he hated seeing Hannah there. So familiar to his senses. She was always there, whispering in his ear, lurking in the shadows. It felt all too real, uncomfortably real.

Real enough that he felt she could reach out and grab him, and take him away. Take him away from his friends, from his new home… back down to the mines, waiting for the opportunity that another lost soul would make their way back up the mountain, only to be devoured and torn apart by his hands. It would be an excuse to test out just how bloody he could make things before the demon was satisfied with its work.

_ It’s not real… She’s not there. She has no control.. _ He squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on maintaining proper breathing- Dr. Hill’s idea, not his own. He had to ground himself, and bring himself back to reality. “You’re not real…” He mumbled, pretending to ignore her whispering in his ear.  _ “Why didn’t you save me, Josh?” _ She hummed, her voice coming from right beside his ear. “No no no… I didn’t.. I didn’t leave you.”

“Hey, Josh.. it’s not real. Josh…” Sam’s eyebrows furrowed with concern, and she couldn’t help but move her hand on his back to let him know that she was there. It appeared to comfort him, as he shifted more into her touch, rather than pushing her away. He took a few deep breaths, shaking his head slowly. “She’s not real… you’re not real.” Just as quickly as she appeared, he could feel the apparition step away.

Her presence faded from his side, and though he kept his eyes closed, he assumed that she had left entirely. Sam let out a sigh of relief, watching as Josh slowly unfurled himself, his hands falling away from his ears. “There we go… come back..” She gently slid her arm back around him, rubbing his side for comfort. Josh nodded slowly, and before long, opened his eyes again, immediately looking where Hannah previously was.

Gone without a trace, just another hallucination that his fucked up mind conjured from the depths of hell. The twisted perversion of his deceased sister, which had haunted him for too long, was nothing but another figment of his imagination. He bit down a laugh from how pathetic he felt. This was all too familiar, something that pained him to put on Sam’s shoulders when she was already dealing with worse.

Sam barely had time to deal with her own issues before he fell on her like a burden. Some days he wanted to cuss himself out, wishing that she and Mike hadn’t gone back to find him. Other days he wished that the wendigo, Hannah, had crushed his head in, and let him die just like that. He wished that he could be less of a burden to Sam, that he could just snap his fingers and all of his mental issues would go away.

That was all he could ask for, but fuck, was it much more complex. “Josh..” Sam whispered, biting her lip. His head snapped in her direction, a little panicked, and his green eyes flicked to her hazel ones. Instinctively, he found his hands flying up to cup her face, his calloused hands brushing over her soft skin. She leaned into his touch, offering a warm smile. “Hey, Josh… it’s me. I’m here.”

The distinct pain in his eyes still stabbed her in the heart. Though his face looked like it was beaten half to Hell, and although he could have been considered a terrifying monster…  _ He was still her Josh.  _ Regardless of whether or not he would tear her to pieces in the future, he remained as the same Josh from before. And she knew that he was afraid, although it was something that he had never spoken about.

He was terrified that he would hurt her, and perhaps with good reason. He could never be sure of just how much control he had over the wendigo- and the thoughts never ceased.  _ Tear her apart. Eat her flesh! Starving! _ He grimaced at the thoughts, swallowing harshly. Josh would do whatever he could to never harm her… no matter how hungry the wendigo got. He ran his fingers over her cheeks, taking a deep breath.

_ You’re okay, Josh… it’s okay… it’s Sam. It’s always Sam.  _ He didn’t remove his hands, but he sunk deeper into her lap, letting his shoulders hunch as he laid his head on her shoulder, taking in her scent. She had always smelled so sweet, a familiar scent in his mind. He couldn’t place it on a singular thing, but whatever it was, she smelled heavenly. He sighed through his nose, feeling her fix her hold on him protectively.

He caressed her cheek, keeping his eyes locked on hers. Sam smiled softly at him, bringing one hand up to his other hand, which slowly fell from her face. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?” Her voice was so gentle and delicate, as to not startle him accidentally. Josh shrugged, frowning- as best as he could with his wendigo side anyways. “It’s… the same as always.

“What do you want me to tell you?” He scoffed, burying his face in the crook of her neck while still being mindful of his sharp teeth. “Whatever you can tell me. Was it different from last time?” She asked, entwining her fingers with his. “It was Hannah again, right? Only Hannah?” He nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. Sam hummed in thought, squeezing his hand. “We can stop talking about it if you want… I know that it helps though..”

Again Josh nodded, bringing his lips to her neck for a gentle kiss. Having the extra teeth… never made anything easy. Sam winced at the brief pain from his teeth cutting her skin, but forced a gentle smile. “Sorry- I didn’t.. I…” “Josh, it’s okay. I’m okay, it only startled me a bit…” He lifted his head up, those green eyes of his filled with hurt- filled with longing. Longing to be in a place where he felt that he belonged.

A place where he didn’t have to be afraid of hurting his friends… he wished he could return to the mines and fix all that happened that night. No wendigos, no prank, no… death. He swallowed the nauseous feeling building in his throat. Aside from the mangled corpse of another resident of the mountain… he could recall vaguely seeing Emily and Matt’s corpses dragged into the mines. He didn’t want to know what became of them.

He feared that he already knew the answer. That fear made him sick to his stomach, but it was better if he left it to his imagination. “I’m okay, really, Josh…” Sam whispered, reaching her hand up and back into his hair, pushing it back to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. The half-wendigo’s eyebrows furrowed, a short lived sigh escaping him as he laid his head back on her shoulder.

Sam brought her hand back to link her fingers with his, grunting as she shifted beneath him so that she could lay against the arm of the couch, laying so that Josh could fix himself on top of her. He stretched his legs out, rolling onto his stomach so that he was splayed out across her chest, arms snaking around her waist for personal comfort. “Is this better?” Sam asked, resting her hand on the small of his back.

Josh pressed another gentle kiss to her neck, humming softly as her fingers worked into the tense muscles on his back. He closed his eyes, relaxing into her touch. “Sammy..” He whispered, taking a deep breath. “Josh..” Sam whispered, smiling softly at him, knowing well that they’d likely both fall asleep here. “I love you, Sam… you’ll always know that, right?” His green eyes opened to slits.

“Of course, Josh,” She clicked her tongue. “If you always know that I love you too.” The half-wendigo tiredly nodded, closing his eyes once again. Sam sighed to herself, tilting her head into a more comfortable position. Her eyelids felt heavy, her body numb and warm as sleep threatened to overtake her. This was where she wanted to be. To stay with Josh, safe and alive in her arms. 

She would repeat that as many times as she needed. This was where Josh belonged, by his own wishes. This was his home. A place away from the trauma and terrifying events that occurred only months before. A place where he could try to neglect the other half of him that screamed and begged to tear her into pieces, the half that constantly scratched and dug into the walls of his mind.

The half that wished to be free, though it spent more time in control than Josh did… But that wasn’t important. They had a lot of things to work out with everyone, and experiences to overcome together… he would have to be patient until they were all ready to come together. And until then, he would be just as happy staying here, only being with Sam.

**Author's Note:**

> If you stuck around to the end, thank you!  
I will apologize for any mistakes or goofs- I am still getting used to Archive's format, and it's a bit... hectic when inserting stuff.  
This is my first time writing for this pair, but I hope to write more Until Dawn in the future. I am still working on understanding bits and pieces of Schizophrenia, so any advice is appreciated!  
I hope this was a nice little fluff-filled gift for the upcoming holidays.


End file.
